Modern automotive vehicles require a fuel pump to move fuel from the tank to the fuel-injection system. Typically, fuel pumps and electrically powered and located inside the fuel tank.
Medium and heavy-duty vehicle fuel tanks are generally aluminum or aluminized steel for diesel-powered vehicles and aluminized steel for gasoline, based on the manner in which each of those materials interacts with the fuel. Typically, some type of retainer ring secures the fuel pump to the fuel tank, and a lock ring clamps and secures the fuel pump to the retainer ring.
Working with aluminum tanks presents a number of problems. First, the use of steel for the retainer ring raises issues of galvanic corrosion. On the other hand, stamped aluminum is too rigid to be used for clamping the fuel pump to the retainer ring, an action requiring some flexibility and springiness.
Therefore, a need exists for an assembly for locking a fuel pump to a fuel tank of a vehicle, particularly a locking assembly that can easily attach and secure the fuel pump to the fuel tank, while substantially avoiding galvanic corrosion.